We call attention to the role of chemistry in the environment.
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Environment Bill Amendments
November 2020
The Government's Environment Bill sets out new provisions about targets, plans and policies relating to waste and resource efficiency, air quality, environmental standards for products, water quality, nature and biodiversity, and the regulation of chemicals.
Building on our extensive work with the scientific community, we have provided briefings to members of parliament with suggested amendments relating to future wastes, and chemicals regulation.
Future Wastes
While the Environment Bill contains a number of beneficial provisions to reduce the environmental harms of plastic and electronic waste, there is more that can be done to ensure it reflects the evidence and acts as a useful stepping stone as we move towards a circular economy.
The Environment Bill should:
- Encourage the use of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of products
- Encourage eco-design and allow authorities to set minimum standards for eco-design
- Mandate tracking of e-waste and the Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) contained within, and include this information in the National Materials Datahub
- Encourage better labelling of products so CRM-containing electricals are not lost to landfill
- Include the waste hierarchy in implementation plans
RSC Environment Bill Amendments briefing - Waste and resource efficiency
Chemicals Regulation
The provisions in the Environment Bill present an opportunity to ensure that UK REACH reflects the evidence and allows for a regulatory environment which is fit for purpose.
The Environment Bill should include measures to ensure appropriate scientific advice is sought within decision making frameworks. These decisions should be well evidenced and transparent, with clear accountability.
Risk-based Regulation for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)
September 2020
Regulation continues to evolve for EDCs around the world and this policy position in intended to inform the continuing debates by bringing a perspective following an expert round table involving the UK scientific community. Similarities and differences of approach have emerged for the characterisation and authorisation of EDCs as used in products and processes. As the UK leaves the EU, it is necessary for the UK to decide how it will regulate EDCs in the context of promoting globally harmonised regulation, informed by collaborative science and research evidence. Differences in the approaches taken to protecting citizens and the environment may impact on future trade deals. We advocate the use of exposure-driven risk-based approaches and state-of-the-art evidence integration to support decision-making for EDCs.
Risk-based Regulation for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)
Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy Consultation
May 2020
In August 2019 we responded to the first round of written evidence in the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee inquiry on Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy.
As a result we were asked to provide further written evidence and attend a session giving oral evidence in April 2020.
Drawing on our policy work and successful Elements in Danger campaign, we outlined our four main principles for the government to consider:
1. Reduce and re-use: Measures should focus on reducing the amount of CRMs being used and re-using devices containing them, following the principles of the ‘waste hierarchy’, rather than primarily focusing on increasing recycling rates.
2. Working together: Government, academia, industry and society must work together in a ‘Quadruple Helix’ collaboration towards common sustainability goals for CRMs, and begin by enabling tracking CRMs in product supply chains by covering CRM streams in the National Materials Datahub.
3. Invest in R&I: Funding budgets for research into development of CRM substitute materials, collaborative work with designers, and scale-up and commercialisation of recovery processes must be matched with the expected demand of CRMs required to achieve the government’s strategic innovation ambitions.
4. Product requirements: UK product requirements should include lifecycle impact reporting to assess environmental impact, eco-design to ensure that products can be cost-effectively upgraded, repaired, remanufactured and disassembled, and product labelling to inform and empower consumers. Implementation plans in the UK must include maximum efforts for global harmonisation.
Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy written evidence Aug 2019
Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy further evidence Apr 2020
Principles for implementing future waste strategies
September 2019
The chemical sciences play an important role in understanding the environment around us, including preventing and remediating the adverse impacts of waste from human activity.
We developed a policy pack covering ‘principles for implementing future waste strategies’ that our community considers are important to the development of waste and resources policy to protect the environment and unlock the opportunities of the circular economy.
This policy pack was produced drawing on evidence from our Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division, our Materials Chemistry Division and chemical scientists in our community working on these issues, and includes:
- Overarching principles for waste strategies
- Principles for management of critical raw materials in waste electrical and electronic equipment - drawing on our Elements in danger research
- Principles for management of plastic waste - drawing on Sustainable plastics – the role of chemistry
Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life Consultation
March 2019
We responded to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry on Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life.
In this response, we focus on four overarching action points that relate to all of the questions posed in the inquiry and we believe require further investigation and consideration by government:
1) The need for decision-making principles for chemicals and products regulation (as per our Principles for the Management of Chemicals in the Environment).
2) The need for effective and independent scientific evaluation and advice mechanisms to ensure consumer confidence in credible chemicals safety decisions
3) The need for globally harmonised outcomes for chemicals and products regulations
4) The development of biomonitoring of chemicals in humans and wildlife
Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life Consultation Response
Sustainable plastics roundtable discussion
March 2019
In response to the growing awareness of the impact of plastic waste in the environment, the RSC Materials Chemistry Division hosted a roundtable discussion meeting on 1 March 2019. The meeting brought together stakeholders from across the chemical sciences research community (including academic experts in polymer science, sustainable chemistry, and the impacts of plastics on the environment) to contribute their views on the future for sustainable plastics, and on the contribution that the chemical sciences will make. A summary of the discussions is available for download below.
Sustainable plastics – the role of chemistry
Clean Air Strategy Consultation 2018
August 2018
Chemical scientists have an important role to play in reducing air pollution as well as in helping us to understand and monitor it. We submitted a response, developed in collaboration with our members, to the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs consultation on the Draft Clean Air Strategy 2018.
Draft Clean Air Strategy 2018 Consultation Response
Principles for the Management of Chemicals in the Environment
September 2018
We have developed a thought starter document covering the ‘principles for the management of chemicals in the environment’ that our community considers are important to the development of new environment policy.
This document was produced in collaboration with members of our Environment and Regulation Collective.
Principles for the management of chemicals in the environment